Travelers pass through Pittsburgh’s new airport terminal for the first time: “It was a great way to start the morning.”
Pittsburgh International Airport’s new $1.7 billion terminal is open for business after years of anticipation and travelers said it made for an exciting morning as they passed through the new space to catch their flights.
After more than a decade of planning and four years of construction, Pittsburgh International’s new airport terminal has opened and is ushering in a new era of aviation in western Pennsylvania.
KDKA Photojournalist Brian Smithmyer
An official commencement ceremony was held among airport authority executives early Tuesday morning with a countdown clock finally hitting 0:00, signaling the official opening of the new terminal.
Allegheny County Airport Authority CEO Christina Cassotis said there was a lot of calm for the opening of the terminal.
“I’m incredibly proud,” Cassotis said. “Very grateful that Pittsburgh gave us the chance to do this.”
KDKA Photojournalist Brian Smithmyer
Around 20,000 passengers are expected to travel through the new terminal on its opening day.
Keith Spruill was the first passenger to travel through the new TSA security checkpoints Tuesday morning, but said that he didn’t even know the new terminal was opening today.
“It’s very aesthetically pleasing,” Spruill said. “I like the lights on top. It gives a nice relaxed feel.”
Koko Atoa flew out of Pittsburgh International’s new terminal on Tuesday after flying in through the old terminal last week.
KDKA
“It looks really good,” Atoa said. “We’re actually really surprised. It was a great way to start the morning.”
United Airlines Captain William Westfahl piloted the first flight to arrive into Pittsburgh International after the opening of the new terminal, calling it a beautiful facility.
“It’s been a few years since I’ve been here, but I’ve always liked the Pittsburgh airport because there’s so much shopping compared to other airports,” Westfall said. “I was telling him on the way in that there’s a lot to do here, but now seeing this, it’s supercharged. It’s fantastic now.”
Bidding farewell to the now-decommissioned airport tram
It was a busy couple of final hours in the old airport terminal as crews began switching things over for operations out of the new terminal, including being a night of “lasts.”
Some of the final passengers to walk to the old terminal got to take the last ride on the infamous underground tram taking them from the landside terminal to the airside terminal.
KDKA
“It was such a sentimental experience,” Todd Wilson said. “I can still remember the first time I ever took the train. It was for a middle school chorus program.”
Shortly after the last ride, the tram was decommissioned.
The history of Pittsburgh International Airport
Once named the Greater Pittsburgh Airport, or maybe you knew it as the Greater Pittsburgh International Airport, the iconic landmark split between Moon and Findlay townships began transporting travelers back in 1952.
Flash forward to the 1990s, when travelers began knowing Pittsburgh International for its famous flooring or its two terminals being connected by a unique, underground tram.
Over the years, the airport began showing its age and called for a change with its brand new, modern terminal ushering in a new era of aviation in Pittsburgh.
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